Healthy Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse.

If i hadn't been having quite so much fun i swear i would think i have just lost the last three weeks.... I can't believe its September already, the nights are drawing in quicker & there's more than a trace of autumn blowing through London town. I love this time of year, the slight nip in the air first thing in the mornings, the fact you appreciate your feather duvet again & of course more excuses to eat hearty food. September can be a beautiful month is mother nature plays fair...

The last few weekends definitely have had a Scottish flavour with 2 trips north & Mrs Rhodes visiting from the Borders. Heading home is great as always. Fresh air, lots of walks & catching up with family is the usual order of the day. I can never get over how reasonably priced fresh fish is up North, it's literally a third of the price compared to London & three times better. Mrs Rhodes & i got a little carried away & put together a seafood platter which was pretty impressive. A second trip north was to celebrate Miss R. Shannon's 30th birthday in the lovely seaside village of Ellie in the Kingdom of Fife. More walks, lovely weather, epic birthday cake & lots of wine. We introduced the Houseboy to 'Buttries' an Aberdonian delicacy (Miss S & i both went to uni in Aberdeen) it's a bit like a salty flat croissant & very good with jam. 

A Rhodes & Rhodes Lunch Time Collaboration

The most exciting thing to happen last weekend was the arrival of my birthday present from the Houseboy - a Cannon 500D which is just completely, totally & utterly amazing. I'm so excited to start taking some proper shots of all the dishes i cook, it's something i feel lets my wee blog down at times. Very much looking forward to spending next weekend peddling around on my bike taking some shoots. There is the most amazing building on Lots Road in Fulham on the river which is used by the council in some way which i'm keen to explore. On Sunday the Houseboy & i had people over for lunch & had a kitchen collaboration. Last Christmas i gave him a days butchery course at The Ginger Pig & he came home with a beautifully done Rolled Shoulder of Lamb. (made me start day dreaming of us living in the country with the Houseboy becoming a butcher & me a Cheese maker) Using a Stephanie Alexander marinade of Anchovies, Chicken Stock, Thyme, Garlic & White Wine & resting the Lamb on a bed of Back Bacon (i'm not kidding) it was slowly cooked for 6hrs. The result was delicious & we served it up with Chive Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans. 

Ellie on the East Coast of Scotland.

As far i'm concerned this i THE holy grail of 'not so sinful' desserts. But alas i can not take full credit for the recipe. The brain child of Miss R. Shannon, who like myself strives to find delicious food that's not going to take a week to burn off in a sodding spin class. This pretty much smashes all the boxes. As the character Marjorie Dawes says... "its got half the calories so you can eat twice as much'. Don't be put off by the idea of tofu, you really can't tell once it's made, it gives it a nice nutty taste. Also great for people who want to avoid dairy. 

Ingredients:

• 400g silken tofu
• 150g 75% dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 tsp brandy (optional)

Method:

Melt the chocolate gently taking care not to burn it. Pop the tofu, melted chocolate, sifted icing sugar & brandy into your food processor & blend to a smooth paste. Place into ramekins & chill. It's quite rich so its nice to serve with a couple of raspberries on top.

Ellie Beach.